Western Michigan holds off Ball State 62-53

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Shayne Whittington scored 21 points and hauled in 15 rebounds to lead Western Michigan to a 62-53 win over Ball State on Sunday.

Trailing by a point at the break, Western Michigan (11-7, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) opened the second half with a 17-5 run, led 42-31 with 12 minutes still to play and would hold on to the lead down the stretch.

David Brown contributed 17 points and Connar Tava added 11 in the win -- the first time this season the Broncos have come back from a halftime deficit.

Ball State (4-13, 1-5) narrowed the gap late in the second half, drawing to within five on a pair of Chris Bond free throws that made it 58-53 with 2:48 to go before the Cardinal rally stalled.